Making The Most Of A Twitter Chat
Huddle, huddle, roil and muddle
I remember the first Twitter chat I attended. It was #journchat, one of the first, if not the first, Twitter chats created.
Image: Maria Johnson via Flickr, CC 2.0
It drove me nuts.
The stream moved so quickly, it was really hard to keep up with what was going on. And if there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s being able to keep up with several things at once or, as the jargonites would put it, “multi-task.”
And if I’m being honest, some of the tweets people shared seemed so puerile, I said to myself, “Do they really work in public relations?”
Hey I can pull a Simon Cowell with the best of ‘em, though I try – for the most part – not to. And I suspect you can too.
As I started participating in more chats such as #pr20chat, #soloPR and then starting my own (#measurePR), I’ve come to learn a few things about how to make the most of a Twitter chat.
And that puerile is as puerile does.
So, especially if you are new to Twitter chats, I hope this will be helpful.
No barriers to participation
The beauty of Twitter is its democratic nature. Press conferences are held for the media. Professional development conferences are held for professionals in their fields.
But a Twitter chat? It’s there. It’s open. Anyone can participate if they jump on to the hashtag, regardless of whether they specialize in that particular field or not.
As a result, you have the potential for all sorts of comments – from seasoned professionals in the field, to curious onlookers or folks who dabble in the biz.
So no, all tweets will not be equal.
But I think that’s a great thing, since it gives us an opportunity to hear from many different voices… some of whom might become clients, if you’re nice to them.
What you can do: be willing to share (or re-share) information that might help explain the topic at hand to them, and point them to additional resources if they are interested in learning more.
I do this by keeping links to the introductory #measurePR post, as well as to the MeasurePR category on my blog handy. Then, when someone asks, “What is #measurePR?” I can give them a much better answer than I would be able to in 140 characters and the moment.
Resource bingo
Alex Talbott put it best:
Echoing Alex’s thought, Jodi Gersh said on Facebook:
And John Friedman:
This is one of the best things about Twitter chats.
When you go back and look at the transcripts, you’ll find people share a wealth of resources… blog posts, websites, and most of all, their own thoughts, often artfully captured in a perfect sound bite.
Most of the Twitter chats I’m aware of take place for an hour or so. But the great thing about them is that that hour is jam-packed with so much additional information, you could pretty much download all the additional resources shared during the chat and make it your own little handbook.
What you should expect: that the chat moderator(s) will provide a recap of the chat. All that I know do.
If they don’t, go to the WTHashtag page for the chat, like this #measurePR WTHashtag page, and pull a transcript for the chat. Save it as a .PDF file, and you’re good to go.
Bonus tip: sometimes WTHashtag acts funky and doesn’t catch all the tweets, especially if you let a couple of days go by before pulling the transcript. So try to do it as soon as the chat ends.
The other thing you can do is to go to Twitter Search, plug in the hashtag, and save all the tweets that were generated during the time of the chat.
This is a PITA, and I’m not talking bread, but it gives you a record of what was said.
Props to Kellye Crane for reminding me of this during the most recent #measurePR with Don Bartholomew.
The other thing that’s smart to do is, when the transcript is generated, look for any URLs that have been shared during the chat. If they’re resources you will find useful, bookmark them (I use Delicious or Evernote) for future reference.
Rules of engagement
This is an easy one.
What you should expect: anything and everything.
Like I said before, it’s Twitter. Anyone can jump in, jump out, and pretty soon you have the hopscotch and Hokey Pokey rolled into one.
Image: Philippa Willitts via Flickr, CC 2.0
All together now: you put your right foot in, put your right foot out, put your right…
This is actually a lot of fun, if you’re prepared to deal with it.
What you can do: make sure that you’re including the relevant hashtag with your tweets. A good way to do this is to participate in the chat using Tweetgrid or Tweetchat, which automatically include the hashtag with your tweets.
This way, you’ll see interesting tweets from Twitter users you might not be following, but who are also using the hashtag to participate in the chat.
By doing so, you can engage with them, continue your conversation outside of the chat, and the next thing you know, you’re on a plane to Alaska.
Bonus tip: most chat moderators will number the questions, e.g. Q1, Q2, and so on.
When responding to specific questions, start off by saying, “Re Q1,” or “A1,” etc.
You will help the moderator out immensely by doing both these.
First, because unless you include the hashtag with your tweets, they won’t be indexed in the transcript/search.
Second, numbering your answers helps others understand what specifically you’re responding to, as well as the moderator, which will help her (ok, “or him”) point you to previous answers that may help you get up to speed (if you’re asking a follow up question), as well as additional resources that help you out.
This is some of what I’ve learned by participating in, and moderating, Twitter chats. I’m sure there’s much, much more, because I’m not Simon Cowell, and I don’t know everything.
What have you learned about making your Twitter chat participation more effective and useful? Do share!
Filed under How To, Social Media, Twitter | Tags: #measurepr, #pr20chat, alex talbott, jodi gersh, john friedman, kellye crane, solopr, twitterchat | Comment (0)
Hail Whale
Maybe it’s time for the fail whale to get social.
Image: Seb Fowler, Creative Commons
Filed under Twitter | Tags: fail whale | Comment (0)I’m Not A Twit Or A Twerp, I’m A Tweep
Catching up on my RSS reader (I’m woefully behind), I came across this post from Dirk Singer’s Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.
It looks at an eMarketer assessment of why regular Twitter users, though relatively small in number (when you compare them to Internet users overall), make the platform I love – and many still love to hate – important:
A common answer to ‘why Twitter, it’s not a mass market tool?’, is ‘because the people who do use it matter.’ The influence over numbers argument.
That’s backed up by an ExactTarget study, reproduced in emarketer. US Twitter users in April 2010 were far more likely than general Internet users to post to forums (75% vs 25%), blog (72% vs 14%), comment on blogs (70% vs 23%) and post ratings / reviews (61% vs 20%).
The eMarketer article also says:
According to 360i, 75% of marketers’ tweets are informational, suggesting brands are responding to what consumers want—though they largely neglect to participate in conversations. Such deeper engagement might help them harness the power of frequent Twitter users across their other social activities as well.
This, it seems to me, is a lost opportunity for marketers or, for that matter, for any brand. Twitter is at its best when used as a conversational platform, rather than a means to push out information.
Because we tweeps? We like to talk.
And we’re not “twits,” thank you very much.
Nor are we twaddles or twerps, btw.
And then, what “happens on Twitter” really doesn’t stay on Twitter, but seeds several other platforms and networks ultimately supporting the company’s business objectives.
Unless, of course, what they’re saying (and/or doing) really sucks. In which case they need to relearn the whole conversation thing.
Virgin America is a company that gets this. So does Southwest. So do many others, but they’re still relatively few and far between.
So, dear marketers. Please start talking to, not at, us.
Because, doncha know, what happens on Twitter doesn’t stay on Twitter.
Image: John Roberts, Creative Commons
Filed under Marketing, Twitter | Tags: conversation, dirk singer, emarketer, influence, Twitter | Comment (0)Bookmining on Twitter
Stuck for reading material?
Image: David Pritchard, Creative Commons
Just ask your social networks for their recommendations.
I had a $50 gift card to Barnes & Noble that was burning a hole in its sleeve.
I have a habit of using gift cards to get gifts for others, but this time I decided to treat myself.
W00t!
Look at some of the great recommendations I got (and am still getting)
on Twitter:
and on Facebook
I ended up buying:
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond (I heard about it on NPR and have been wanting to read it),
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh, who is one of the best Indo-Anglian writers EVER,
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee-Divakaruni (ditto on the Indo-Anglian author thing, and because I think her take on the Mahabharata might possibly be better than that of Peter Brook’s), and
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, which Leah Betty mentioned on Twitter while we were chatting:
And the $50 covered them all (including tax, free shipping).
Double W00t!
So now I have four great books coming my way, and a whole host of others to add to my “must read” list, especially when I need a new book fix.
Yes, I know I could use the library, but I’m one of those people who likes to keep the books they love.
They become some of my best friends, and there’s nothing like going into your home library and sitting down for a cuppa to get reacquainted with characters you haven’t seen in a while.
Just another way social media makes my life better.
So what if you’re not saving the world?
My social networks didn’t help me save the world today, or save a dog.
But they added immense value by opening up my world just a little bit more.
And it’s only by inhabiting an open, forward-looking world that we can progress, not one that shutters and bars the doors to change.
Thank you, SM; and thank you everyone who gave me such great suggestions.
I’m here because you are.
Filed under Personal, Social Media, Twitter | Tags: books, facebook, leah betty, Social Media, Twitter | Comments (3)MeasurePR: The Thud Heard Around The Interwebs
A thud for chucks and chicklets
This week’s #measurePR chat was a riot.
The day started (for me, in Alaska), with finding that the oh-so-awesome Lee Odden mentioned the chat as one of the top (in his opinion) Twitter chat for marketing and PR chucks and chicklets.
OK, he didn’t say C&C. That’s all me.
I thought it would be more fun than saying “marketing/PR/SM professionals of all shapes, sizes, hues and gastronomic proclivities.”
Though now that I read that last bit back, that seems pretty cool too.
I know. Whatever.
So anyway. Here I am, looking at the gorgeous mountains I can see from my hotel room in Anchorage, catching up with everyone on Twitter, when I notice a spurt of tweets hashtagged #measurePR.
“What just happened?” I says to myself.
“I don’t know. I suppose I’ll have a look.” says Me to I.
“You better make sure they’re not giving away the farm,” says Myself, not to be outdone.
So Me, Myself and I looked at what was going on, and found Lee’s post with 5 tips on Twitter chats plus 8 marketing & PR chats to follow.
Wow! Cool!
And then the pressure started building.
What if today’s chat was a bust?
What if there was a surge of new attendees and they all wanted their money back?
What if everyone forgot the Barcelona Principles were adopted before they’ve even had a chance to go from toddler status to teenage angst?
Fortunately
the day continued uneventfully.
And the chat was great; thanks in no small part to Johna Burke of BurrellesLuce who graciously sat in as the featured guest.
Johna is a powerhouse of a practitioner, who has a knack of framing issues in an easy-to-understand way.
And since I started #measurePR, I’ve been trying to ensure that a range of voices belonging to movers and shakers in the field are heard.
This week’s chat didn’t disappoint. Here are a few nuggets from it:
There were many new participants this week, which I was thrilled about. You can read and download the entire transcript of the MeasurePR chat with Johna, if you like.
Go on, don’t be shy.
And do mark your calendars for our next chat, which will be on August 3, 12-1 pm ET.
All you have to do is log on to Twitter shortly before that time and follow/participate in the conversation using the #measurePR hashtag.
And if you have PR measurement-related questions (“What shoes are you wearing today?” doesn’t count), please send them to me via email or a DM.
See ya.
Now I have to go put Myself in her place.
Image: Brajeshwar Oinam, Creative Commons
Filed under MeasurePR, Measurement, Public Relations, Twitter | Tags: #measurepr, burrellesluce, johna burke, lee odden, PR measurement, thud factor | Comments (5)How The UK’s NHS Broke Into Social Media
This is a guest post by Bryce Keane
Reaching out… touching me… touching you…
Over the past month, much like the many months before it, I have been listening to and absorbing a wide variety of stories on social media and how various brands are using it – for better or worse – to reach out to new audiences.
I happened to be browsing one of the UK’s preeminent social media news outlets (and a personal favorite of mine for breaking stories in the world of social media and business) – Reputation Online – when I came across a story that struck a chord with me.
The story focused on the first-ever “Twitter-view” to be conducted with the NHS Salford’s Head of Communications, Karl Brookes, by Reputation Online’s editor Vikki Chowney (pictured above).
Now, for any North American readers out there who may be unfamiliar with the NHS, it’s the UK’s National Health Service, which is completely publicly funded.
That means that any resident of the UK can basically receive a vast majority of medical care for free. Sounds pretty good, right?
Not exactly.
As you can probably guess, the NHS is at the mercy of successive governments in terms of ongoing funding levels, often publicly criticized for lack of available resources, and always under scrutiny (especially when it comes to any form of external communications efforts) as to where the public funding that is available is going.
However, this is what makes this – their first-ever (and pretty darn brave if you ask me) foray into the world of social media – just too darn interesting to pass up.
I was lucky enough to sit down with Reputation Online editor, prolific music blogger, social media expert and all round “digital native” Vikki Chowney, and ask her a few questions on what makes this such a different, interesting and ongoing social media initiative.
As the editor of RO, what makes the NHS’ adoption of Social Media a unique story when compared to other Government entities?
Well first of all, the fact that they are actually using social media properly.
They have not just set up a Twitter account and Facebook page for the sake of it, but are using these channels to engage both stakeholders and members of the public alike and keeping everything updated regularly.
Secondly, they are proactively talking about it and encouraging people to get involved. And finally, they have done their research.
In an earlier article, prior to the Twitter interview, the NHS Salford contacted us about a survey they had done showing only a third (36%) of the 148 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England were found to be active on Facebook, and 28% on Twitter.
However, during the interview, it also emerged that they had also found that 20+% of residents were asking that they communicate with them electronically which was the driving force behind it all.
Editor’s note: See? Research drives good communication!
What did you find to be the main points of interest to emerge from the “Twitter-view”?
Well, following on from the NHS’ initial research, I was fascinated to learn that not only was this an organically generated and implemented idea from NHS staffers in the first place, but that they are staffing it entirely with an internal team rota, based on existing resources (with those that are more keen tending to chip in), with a focus on leveraging a lot of the good work that the NHS does that often goes unnoticed.
This is particularly pertinent because, traditionally for any publicly-funded government entity, any kind of external pro-active communications work has been frowned upon due to the inevitable public demands to know where the money is coming from.
By internally generating this idea and implementing it, they have found a way to pro-actively open themselves up to, and engage with, a wide variety of stakeholders without requiring any extra funding or agency fees etc.
What’s more, if the interview is anything to go by, it’s working. We expected to only have a few digital industry people taking part over the course of the hour, but ended up with a headcount of 262 tweets from 66 participants.
I was also struck by how well thought-out all the questions were, which to me shows some very promising early signs of real engagement with a growing target audience.
This is no doubt a progressive move for the NHS. But as the publicly-funded national health care provider for the UK, it regularly deals with issues around (limited) funding from the government and criticism from the public for limited resources/availability of those resources.
What are your thoughts on whether this will open up the NHS to a veritable “Pandora’s Box” of public complaints about day-to-day issues? And, if so, how would you see the NHS handling such a situation?
At the beginning of the interview we did have a few negative tweets about both the editorial credibility of the interview and, of course, where the money was coming from to pay for this social media push.
However, I was impressed with the professionalism shown by Karl when dealing with these, and in the end we were actually able to bring a few participants around – but again this was a direct result of them doing their research and knowing how to implement properly within the constraints of being a government entity.
I think that the NHS will definitely open themselves up to public complaints about lots of the day-to-day stuff with this.
If there is one thing that we’ve learned here it is that if you reach out to people and offer them something of value they will respond.
I personally received some criticism from readers about why the interview was conducted on Twitter, which some thought only appealed to a niche community. But if we go back to the point about offering value, it is important to remember that with SM the NHS can deal with any complaint one-on-one, but it’s also public, so that information has the potential to benefit many.
One of Karl’s responses that really stood out to me during the interview was that, “There are always reasons for not doing something, but true innovation occurs when people have the courage to try these things,” and “The #NHS should always be communicating via forums that people use. We should be where the audience is.”
You mentioned an article earlier on the “low uptake of social media within the 148 PCTs in England.” Do you think this initiative is a) sustainable and b) will see increased usage across the entire NHS in future?
I think that with any social media initiative, you have to start somewhere. The fact that an organization like the NHS has an internal “Just Do It” attitude to this is certainly encouraging.
Since the interview I have been told that a number of NHS bodies have since stepped forward to support the roll-out and I am hoping that articles like ours and yours will get people talking.
Aside from that, time will tell, but I will definitely be keen to see where it goes from here.
If you’ve been reading this: what do you think about this initiative? Do you think social media is the right forum for bodies like the NHS?
Do you think it’s sustainable? Could you see, or do you know of, any other health care bodies adopting a similar approach around the world? Please do share your thoughts.
Bryce Keane is an international communications professional with experience managing a wide variety of communications campaigns in both the EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions. Originally from Melbourne, he now works in London as an Account Manager for Mulberry Marketing Communications. His experience includes devising and executing local, national and regional campaigns across a variety of industries, from Agri-Business, to Government, to Corporate Social Responsibility and Technology. He has a keen interest in exploring issues that affect the global communications industry, and is always interested in hearing from other communications professionals with thoughts, feedback or just for a chat. You can reach him on LinkedIn or Twitter.
How Do You Say “Good Morning”?
One of the most important things you can do in social media is to say, “Good morning.”
Image: Mahesh Khanna, Creative Commons
It’s amazing who will respond, and what they’ll respond with.
Chuck Hester, for example, puts out a daily CHUCKle. Like this one from a few days ago:
Heh heh.
Today I saw Mike Schaffer saying, “Good morning, good morning to you,” which immediately reminded me of the song from “Singing in the Rain” (one of my all-time favorites).
Sorry about the closed captioning; it was the only embeddable version of the song I could find on YouTube. On the flip side, you’ll be able to sing along.
So I asked my tweeps which “good morning” songs they like the best, and got a range of answers. Here are just a few:
First, what a great way to expand my play list.
But more importantly, I find it a refreshing way to start my morning; by connecting with people I may not actually have met, but who are an important part of my extended circle online. And I get to know them just a little bit more by a simple interchange, after which we all go off to start our days (or, in some cases, nights).
These are people
Whom I might actually (I hope!) run into IRL one day… like I did Mary Barber.
Who might become business partners or clients … like Shashi Bellamkonda.
Who might become – and this one’s my favorite – good friends … like Mary, Shashi, Jill Foster and so many others.
And all of that from a simple “good morning” on Twitter.
So – how do you say “good morning”?
Filed under Networking, Social Media, Twitter | Tags: good morning, jill foster, mary barber, shashi bellamkonda, singing in the rain, Twitter | Comments (6)
Catching Up With #measurePR
The last couple of #measurePR chats have been interesting. A few weeks ago, we resumed our chat via a “community” edition, i.e. where we literally just chatted about measuring our favorite subject, PR. There weren’t any guests, or any set agenda – just… us.
Image: Proctor Archives, Creative Commons
You can get the June #measurePR community chat transcript here.
Then, last week, we were extremely fortunate that Lee Odden was able to join us, to talk about the confluence between SEO and PR measurement.
I can’t imagine you don’t know who Lee is. He’s an all-round brilliant (and nice) guy, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing, and one of the people who doesn’t just get PR and SEO, but the measurement aspect as well. So it was really great that Lee was able to take time out of his busy schedule to join us.
Here are a sampling of tweets from the chat:
And perhaps my favorite:
Check out this great resource (among many) that Lee gave us: top 10 SEO tips for PR professionals; you can download the full transcript of #measurePR: the Lee Odden edition here.
And I hope you’ll join us next Tuesday, July 6, (12 – 1 pm ET) when Katie Paine, the undisputed queen of measurement, will return for an encore performance at #measurePR.
See you then!
Filed under Communication, MeasurePR, Measurement, Public Relations, Twitter | Tags: #measurepr, lee odden, PR measurement, twitterchat | Comment (1)DMC10, Twitter and The Blue Ball
Earlier today I presented at the 2010 Digital Media Conference, put on by PotomacTechWire and DigitalMediaWire.
My panel focused on “Twitter and the Media,” and included luminaries such as Rohit Bhargava, Jodi Gersh, Kevin Dando and Chris McGill. If ever a panel made me feel smart…
It was a fun afternoon, for which I prepared by downing copious amounts of the delicious tomato/basil soup on hand. And I hope those who attended got something out of it too.
For me, it was great not just to meet/reconnect with my fellow panelists, but to see folks like Mike Smith, Liz Shea, Ashley Houghton and Stephanie Wonderlick.
We talked, as you might imagine, about various aspects of Twitter. And while I enjoyed all the comments, something Chris said particularly struck home:
Twitter is for everyone… even if all you do is use it to listen.
If you think about it, that’s really true. You can use it to gather intelligence, keep on top of your brand… and you don’t have to be an active user to do that.
Now, if you’re consider Twitter as a marketing tool, then yes, you have to really dive in and not just listen but engage, converse, yada yada yada.
And all that is stuff I say all the time.
But if you’re not ready to do all that, at the very least you can use it to listen.
I do think you should be smart about the social platforms you decide to use, and that’s what yesterday’s webinar/post was about.
If you don’t know what your goals are, you’re going to have a tough time figuring out how to reach them.
But if you’re just getting started… why not just listen for a while?
You might be surprised by what you hear.
The Blue Ball
After the panel was over, the beauteous Jodi (and she really is beauteous) gave me a personal tour of Gannett and USA Today‘s properties in NoVa. Here’s the famous “blue ball:”
Happy weekend!
Filed under Events, Social Media, Speaking, Twitter | Tags: #dmc10, blue ball, chris mcgill, gannett, jodi gersh, kevin dando, rohit bhargava, Twitter, usa today | Comments (3)On Pontification
Quick heads-up: tomorrow I’m doing a Ragan webinar on social media and strategic communication in the “age of now.” (They didn’t say that last bit, I did.)
Friday, I’ll be at the Potomac TechWire Digital Media Conference East, on a Twitter-related panel with luminaries such as Rohit Bhargava and Jodi Gersh (hashtag #dmc10).
Hey, I can try to pontificate with the best of them. I might not beat ‘em at their game, but you can’t knock a girl for trying, can you?
Hope you see you at one – or both!
Image: Inayaili de León, Creative Commons
Filed under Public Relations, Speaking, Twitter
| Tags: potomac techwire, ragan, Speaking |
Comment (0)
